by Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY Sports

by Jeff Zillgitt, USA TODAY Sports

INDIANAPOLIS - Udonis Haslem scored 10 points or more just six times during the regular season.

From Dec. 18 through April 5, Haslem didn't score more than nine points in a game, a stretch of 52 consecutive games without scoring in double figures.

Which is why his Game 3 performance against the Indiana Pacers is so remarkable, and why the Heat have taken a 2-1 lead in the Eastern Conference finals.

The Heat needed someone to step up and add some scoring punch to take all the burden off LeBron James. Haslem did that Sunday, scoring 17 points on 8-for-9 shooting and grabbing seven rebounds in the 114-96 victory. Game 4 is Tuesday in Indianapolis.

The Heat don't always need Haslem's scoring, and Miami coach Erik Spoelstra will be the first to say that. Haslem, who has been with the Heat since 2003-04, will be the second.

"I'm a coach that studies numbers, looks at numbers, and in the 10 years that I've gotten to know UD, I know that he's not defined and cannot be defined by numbers," Spoelstra said. "He's defined by winning plays and a toughness that most players don't have."

Understanding his value, Haslem concurred.

"My contributions are not always making shots," said Haslem, who had just three points total after the first two games of the series. "Sometimes I contribute by playing defense and by rebounding. â?¦ (Sunday), it was knocking down shots."

Haslem's proficiency with his baseline jump shot stretched Indiana's defense, allowing James, Dwyane Wade and Mario Chalmers to take advantage of the area near the basket.

From the left baseline between 17 and 19 feet, Haslem made 5-of-6 shots, including his first three from that range.

"He was locked in from the beginning," longtime friend Wade said. "He knew where he was going to get his shots at."

That he did. Haslem made just 1-of-6 shots in Game 1 and was 0-for-1 in Game 2. Wade knew that Haslem wanted a chance to atone for his Game 1 shooting.

"The thing UD saw from Game 1 is that he had a lot of opportunities, and more so than anybody, he was peeved off he wasn't knocking down those shots," Wade said. "We knew he was going to have one of those games."

The Heat had struggled to make three-pointers in the first two games, so they went another direction at the start of Game 3. They tried to find long shots for Haslem and Chris Bosh in an attempt to pull Pacers center Roy Hibbert and forward David West from the basket.

"We watched film and saw some adjustments that we could make," Haslem said. "We made a conscientious effort to have everybody sprint down the court and get their spacing early. â?¦ I spotted up in the corner, and I knew I'd get some shots."

Haslem and Bosh scored 16 of Miami's first 24 points â?? each with eight points in the first 7:15 of the game.

It was suggested to Haslem that he knew Miami wanted him to look for his shot early. "I might have had an indication," he said.

The Pacers seem content to let Haslem have those shots, knowing the potential price.

"Is he going to shoot 8-for-9 every night? I don't know. We'll see," Pacers coach Frank Vogel said. "If he does, it's probably going to be a long series for us."

Haslem scored in double figures six times in 75 regular-season games, but he has done it four times in 12 playoff games â?? at least one in each round -- and is shooting 61.4% from the field.

"That's what depth is all about," Haslem said. "You never know when your number's going to be called. When your number's called, you have to be ready. I was ready for my guys."

Wade is beloved in South Florida. But Haslem isn't far behind. He grew up and went to high school in Miami and played college basketball for Florida.

Wade calls him the mayor of South Florida.

"He's the heartbeat of our team," James said.

Earlier this season, Haslem became the first undrafted player in NBA history to become a franchise's all-time leading rebounder, passing former Heat star Alonzo Mourning.

How well liked is Haslem? Mourning said if there were one player he wanted to break his record, it was Haslem. Spoelstra calls Haslem his favorite player.

But for a couple of years after college, Haslem didn't have an NBA future. He gained 50 pounds and weighed nearly 300. But he spent a season playing in France, working on his game and dropping weight.

The Heat signed him in 2003 and he has two championship rings with them, the 2006 and 2012 titles. He turned down a much more lucrative offer from the Dallas Mavericks during free agency in 2010 to remain in Miami and play with Wade, James and Bosh.

"He's been in more playoff battles arguably than anybody else in that locker room," Spoelstra said. "And he's played his biggest in the biggest moments when you need him (and) when there's adversity."